Party of European left welcomes the No victory in Italian referendum

Party of European left welcomes the No victory in Italian referendum

05 December 2016

With a great popular participation (65,5% of voters), the majority of the Italian people has rejected the authoritarian attempt to reform the Constitution carried out by Renzi’s government. No prevailed with 59,1% of votes. (19.419.507 votes against 13.432.208).

The Renzi reform has been approved by a parliament elected with an electoral law, declared later unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court, which in 2013 gave to the Democratic Party the 55 % of the seats with only the 28 % of the popular vote. The reform was approved without any agreement not only with the oppositions, but also against the minority of his own Party.

Therefore, the party of European Left welcomes the No victory and the defeat of such undemocratic reform.

The winner of this referendum is not just a single party or movement, but a victory of the Italian people, of democracy. The winner is the Italian Constitution, its democratic spirit, against an attempt to reverse it inspired by authoritarian oligarchies.

We congratulate with Rifondazione Comunista, Altra europa and the largest italian leftist popular organizations, such as the CGIL, (trade union) the partisan association ( ANPI) , the ARCI, and many others organizations and left citizens , that have been in the front line in the campaign for the no. In the name of defending the Constitution born from the Resistance against fascism.

It is also significant that the vast majority of young people rejected the reform.

In the next days and hours, our aim will be to support the work of our Italian comrades to unite the left who voted for NO, to present to the Italian people an alternative to right-wing and xenophobic forces and the neo-liberal Renzi and Democratic Party agenda.